Marriage Act 1994

Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom

United Kingdom legislation

Commons)DatesRoyal assent3 November 1994Other legislationRelates toMarriage Act 1949Text of statute as originally enactedRevised text of statute as amended

The Marriage Act 1994 (c. 34) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom. Introduced as a private member's bill by Gyles Brandreth, it amended the Marriage Act 1949 to allow civil marriages to be solemnized in certain "approved premises". Prior to the Act, marriage ceremonies could only be conducted in churches and register offices.^[1] "Approved premises", for the purpose of the Act, include publicly available premises which are "readily identifiable" as marriage venues, support the "dignity of marriage", and do not have any official connections with any religion or religious institution. The majority of these approved premises are hotels, as well as stately homes, restaurants, and leisure clubs. The Act also allows couples to marry in registration districts in which neither member of the couple resides.^[2]

Following the passage of the Act, the proportion of civil marriages performed in the United Kingdom increased from 1% of all marriages in 1995 to 6% in 1997.^[2]

Approved Premise

An Approved Premise is a designation given to buildings and other locations that are permitted to be used for civil partnerships and civil marriages under the Act.^[3] A building or location can be given the Approved Premise mark by having their location be verified by the superintendent registrar of that area.

References

^ "Rock chick bride says 'aisle do'". BBC News Online. 13 February 2006.
^ ^a ^b Haskey, J. (1998). "Marriages in 'approved premises' in England and Wales: the impact of the 1994 Marriage Act". Population Trends (93): 38–52. ISSN 0307-4463. PMID 9795979.
^ "Approval of premises for civil marriage and civil partnership (England and Wales) - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 14 November 2023.